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Connecticut hasn't had a coherent housing policy in years, writes The Hartford Courant in an editorial, but Evonne M. Klein, the new chief of the state's Housing Department, could change that. Priorities should include a more diverse mix of housing options, a move away from income concentration and transit-oriented development.

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The Connecticut Senate passed a measure that would make it easier for transgender people to obtain a birth certificate that accurately reflects their gender. The bill, which now heads to Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, would allow people to change the sex on their birth certificates even if they have not undergone gender reassignment surgery.

Connecticut's Insurance Department has directed all providers doing business in the state to provide coverage of treatments related to gender transition. The directive, which makes Connecticut the fifth state with such requirements, orders coverage for services including mental health counseling, hormonal therapy and gender reassignment surgery. "As we were turning the corner into the new year, we just wanted to make sure every constituency was clearly heard," Deputy Commissioner Anne Melissa Dowling said.

Hartford, Conn., City Council President Pedro Segarra will likely become the city's next mayor, when the current mayor resigns over a conviction for bribery and extortion. Segarra, who is openly gay, was born in Puerto Rico and moved to New York City with his family when he was 7. He moved to Hartford to escape recruitment by gangs, he said.

Connecticut officials are busy with the bureaucratic details necessary to prepare for carrying out authorized same-sex marriages, as required by the state's Supreme Court, including adjusting the text on marriage license forms. The state expects to be able to be ready by Nov. 10.

A New York Times editorial, praising the House passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act as a "significant, if long overdue, breakthrough for equality and fairness," is calling on the Senate to approve the measure and President Bush to make it law.